Nothing Compares 2 Sinead

Courtney Love isn’t the only outspoken singer in the news. After releasing six albums with EMI and Sony (most recently last year’s “Gospel Oak” EP) during the past 11 years, Sinead O’Connor has signed a long-term recording contract with Atlantic Records. O’Connor, who played yesterday’s Lilith Fair show in Clarkston, Mich., was unavailable for comment. But a spokesperson for Atlantic says the Irish singer, known for her controversial politics (she recently starred as a foulmouthed Virgin Mary in Neil Jordan’s “The Butcher Boy”), plans to release her first album for Atlantic in 1999.